1972

Led Zeppelin scored three major hits in 1972: "Black Dog," "Rock and Roll," and their almost eight-minute classic, "Stairway to Heaven" (which bore no relation to Neil Sedaka's 1960 song of the same name). The latter piece, although never released commercially as a single, became their most popular number ever, and one of the most requested tunes of all time on radio stations from coast to coast. The song was available only as a track on their untitled Runes album (so named because it bore only four cryptic symbols as identification). To the great confusion of music merchants and buyers, neither the title, artist, label, nor any other information appeared on the record jacket.

 

Carly Simon was born rich, the daughter of an obscure New York book publisher. She began her hit career in 1971 with a ballad she wrote, "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be." A Top 10 smash, it was followed by "Anticipation," a tune later reworked into an ad jingle for ketchup. In 1972, she won a Grammy Award as the Best New Artist of the Year, and also recorded the album No Secrets, a turning point in her musical direction. As she said, "I was tired of self-pity." What came from that feeling was "You're So Vain," an accusative song that caused much speculation about the identity of the central character (actually, it was a composite of men in her life, but most notably actor Warren Beatty). In November, Carly ended all romantic trauma by marrying a longtime friend, James Taylor, in New York. Both went on to score several more hits, both separately and together, before splitting in 1981.

 

Other Music Highlights of 1972:

• The 1950s musical Grease opens on Broadway, setting the tone for a nostalgia craze that will sweep the nation.
• In keeping with this, New York radio station WCBS-FM is the first to adapt a "solid gold" format of playing "oldies," a formula that remains especially popular.
• When John Lennon's U.S. immigration visa expires, he begins a long battle to obtain permission to stay permanently in America.
• A 22 year-old singer from Freehold, New Jersey, by the name of Bruce Springsteen signs with Columbia Records.
• The musical Hair ends its Broadway run after 1742 performances.
• Neil Diamond signs a multimillion-dollar deal to record for Columbia Records, thereby leaving the Uni label.
• Chuck Berry, who first hit the charts in 1955 with "Maybelline," finally lands his first and only national number one hit with "My-Ding-A-Ling."
• "Glitter rock" gains notoriety because of groups like the New York Dolls and New York Clubs like Max's Kansas City.
• Genesis arrives in America and makes its concert debut.

 

The Top 40 Singles of 1972:

1. "American Pie - Parts I & II" - Don McLean (First chart appearance: 12/4/71; Highest position: #1)
2. "Alone Again (Naturally)" - Gilbert O'Sullivan (7/1/72; #1)
3. "Without You" - Nilsson (1/15/72; #1)
4. "Brand New Key" - Melanie (11/27/71; #1)
5. "I Gotcha" - Joe Tex (2/26/72; #2)
6. "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast" - Wayne Newton (6/10/72; #4)
7. "Let's Stay Together" - Al Green (12/11/71; #1)
8. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" - Roberta Flack (3/25/72; #1)
9. "Brandy" - Looking Glass (7/1/72; #1)
10. "Lean On Me" - Bill Withers (5/27/72; #1)
11. "If Loving You Is Wrong" - Luther Ingram (6/24/72; #3)
12. "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" - Mac Davis (8/5/72; #1)
13. "Heart Of Gold" - Neil Young (2/12/72; #1)
14. "The Candy Man" - Sammy Davis, Jr. (4/15/72; #1)
15. "Nice To Be With You" - Gallery (4/29/72; #4)
16. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" - Robert John (1/29/72; #3)
17. "Slippin' Into Darkness" - War (4/1/72; #16)
18. "I'll Take You There" - The Staple Singers (4/15/72; #1)
19. "Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)" - The Hollies (7/8/72; #2)
20. "A Horse With No Name" - America (3/4/72; #1)
21. "Outa Space" - Billy Preston (5/13/72; #2)
22. "Oh Girl" - Chi-Lites (4/15/72; #1)
23. "Song Sung Blue" - Neil Diamond (5/13/72; #1)
24. "Family Affair" - Sly and the Family Stone (11/13/71; #1)
25. "Rockin' Robin" - Michael Jackson (3/18/72; #2)
26. "My Ding-A-Ling" - Chuck Berry (9/9/72; #1)
27. "Back Stabbers" - The O'Jays (8/12/72; #3)
28. "Everybody Plays The Fool" - The Main Ingredient (9/2/72; #3)
29. "Last Night (I Didn't Get To Sleep At All)" - The 5th Dimension (4/22/72; #8)
30. "Betcha By Golly, Wow" - The Stylistics (3/11/72; #3)
31. "Precious And Few" - Climax (1/22/72; #3)
32. "Ben" - Michael Jackson (9/9/72; #1)
33. "Cherish" - David Cassidy (11/13/71; #9)
34. "How Do You Do?" - Mouth & MacNeal (6/17/72)
35. "I'm Still In Love With You" - Al Green (7/15/72; #3)
36. "Down By The Lazy River" - The Osmonds (1/29/72; #4)
37. "Scorpio" - Dennis Coffey (11/13/71; #6)
38. "Popcorn" - Hot Butter (8/19/72; #9)
39. "Go All The Way" - Raspberries (8/19/72; #5)

"Too Late To Turn Back Now" - Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose (6/17/72; #2)

Top Albums of 1972:

America American Pie - Don McLean  Chicago V - Chicago  The Concert for Bangladesh - George Harrison & Friends  Exile on Main St. - The Rolling Stones  First Take - Roberta Flack  Harvest - Neil Young  Honky Chateau - Elton John  Hot Rocks, 1964-71 - Rolling Stones  Killer - Alice Cooper  Music - Carole King  Superfly - Soundtrack  Teaser and the Firecat - Cat Stevens

 

20 Popular Movies of 1972:

The Godfather  The Poseidon Adventure  What's Up Doc?  Deliverance  Jeremiah Johnson  Cabaret  The Candidate  Cries and Whispers  Frenzy  The Heartbreak Kid  King of Marvin Gardens  The Last of the Red Hot Lovers  The Mad Bomber  Play It Again, Sam  Slaughterhouse-Five  Sleuth  Sounder  Superfly  The Concert for Bangladesh  Elvis On Tour

 

The Top 20 Television Shows of 1972:

All in the Family  Sanford and Son  Hawaii 5-0  Maude  Bridget Loves Bernie  The NBC Sunday Mystery Movie  The Mary Tyler Moore Show  Gunsmoke  The Wonderful World of Disney  Ironside  Adam-12  The Flip Wilson Show  Marcus Welby, M.D.  Cannon  Here's Lucy  The Bob Newhart Show  ABC Tuesday Movie of the Week  NFL Monday Night Football  The Partridge Family  The Waltons

 

News Highlights of 1972:

• The Coca-Cola Bottling Company recalls 3 million cans of Coke because some of the aluminum lids are found to be contaminated.
• The Winter Olympics are held in Sapporo, Japan.
• Germany pays $5 million to hijackers of a jumbo jet for the release of passengers held hostage.
• President Nixon becomes the first U.S. president to visit China.
• The Pioneer 10 spacecraft takes a 21-month journey to Jupiter, beaming back to earth detailed photos of the planet and its moons.
• President Nixon becomes the first U.S. president to visit Moscow. He spends one week there in talks with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.
• Alabama Governor George Wallace, a controversial presidential candidate because of his white supremacist sympathies, is shot by a sniper and paralyzed from the waist down but plans to continue his quest for the White House.
• Five burgulars are charged with breaking into the Washington, D.C., office of the Democratic National Committee, located in the Watergate complex.
• President Nixon orders the biggest ever bombing raid on North Vietnam.
• South Dakota Senator George McGovern chooses Sargent Shriver as his vice-presidential running mate on the Democratic ticket.
• Arabs massacre 11 Israeli atheletes at the Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. The Olympic flag flies at half mast.
• American swimmer Mark Spitz wins a record seven gold medals at the Munich Olympics.
• President Nixon and Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko sign a strategic arms limitation treaty.
• Richard Nixon wins a second term in the White House.

 

Sports Winners of 1972:

• Baseball: The Oakland A's beat the Cincinnati Reds 4 games to 3.
• Football: The Miami Dolphins beat the Washington Redskins 14-7 on January 14, 1973, at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles in Super Bowl VII.
• Basketball: The Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks 4 games to 1.
• Hockey: The Boston Bruins beat the New York Rangers 4 games to 2.